


When Ash Ran Away

by LORDXVNV



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Daddy Issues, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Married Life, Mommy Issues, Romance, amourshipping, does anyone expect ash ketchum to be a good father, pocket monsters the animation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:15:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26787289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LORDXVNV/pseuds/LORDXVNV
Summary: Some time after the birth of their first child, Serena wakes up to find that Ash has gone missing. When she goes to find him, they learn things about themselves and their futures.
Relationships: Satoshi | Ash Ketchum/Serena
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19





	1. Pallet

Serena woke up to the sound of a baby crying.

It took her a moment to remember where she was. Even after all these years, it was still hard to believe. She was married— _married_ —to her first love, the love of her life, Ash Ketchum, and they had a small house of their own in Pallet Town, and they had just given birth to their first child, a daughter they had named Leaf. So why did something feel wrong?

Little Leaf usually never cried for long enough to wake Serena. Usually, Ash and Pikachu would wake up first, and either lull her back to sleep or play with her until she was laughing. Ash had been more than glad to do this for the past month – he’d been getting up even at midnight to put Leaf back to sleep – because as he’d put it, Serena had done the hardest part of the job.

She flipped over. Ash wasn’t there. Neither was Pikachu.

Their side of the bed was, in fact, cold.

Serena got up and walked to the crib, and held Leaf until she started cooing.

Well, it wasn’t going to be too much of a problem. Serena got dressed, putting on a simple pink dress, keeping an eye on Leaf the whole time—you never could be too careful around babies, or even small children for that matter—and went about her morning. There was more than enough food in the fridge, and Leaf wasn’t old enough to eat solid food yet, so that fell to her. She spent the morning fussing over her child, without worrying too much about Ash. After all, he was the man she had married.

It was early afternoon before she really started to wonder where Ash was. Leaf had, graciously, settled down into a nap, so Serena had a few quiet moments to herself. Braixen was kindly watching Leaf to make sure she didn’t get into too much trouble, and Serena found herself wandering over to the modest his-and-hers trophy case they’d tucked away in a corner of the house. For anyone else, it might have seemed like a monument to vanity, but to her and Ash of them it was simply a record of memories.

On her side, there were the three Princess Keys she’d won in Pokemon Performances, back when her journey was just beginning and the future had seemed so unclear. Then, from after she’d gone to Hoenn, a full set ribbons and a trophy proving that for at least one year, she’d won the title of Top Coordinator. And of course, photos from those journeys. Photos from her first challenge to Aria, photos with all of the other friends and rivals she’d made along the way, some of the more noteworthy of which were Shauna, Miette, and Nini in Kalos, and May and Dawn in Johto and Hoenn.

On Ash’s side of the trophy case, there were badges from countless leagues, a championship trophy from the first Alola League, seven Frontier symbols, and the spoils of countless other smaller tournaments. He’d traveled a lot, and sometimes she still marveled that she was lucky to have ever run into him again at all. Though he seemed to have a certain talent for picking up friends who later attained great successes, though all of their pictures were of a time from before they became successful– Brock and Misty (Serena had long since resolved any feelings of jealous towards Misty, of all people), May and Max (and also Brock), Dawn and Brock (again), Iris and Cilan, Professor Kukui and his classmates at the Pokemon School, and Goh and his other friends at the Cerise lab.

And of course, right in the middle of the trophy case, there was that photo from their first journey together, back with Clemont and Bonnie and Korrina and Lucario. Back when she was first starting out, back before she’d known her dreams, back when love was but a distant dream.

But something was missing, now that she looked closer. Ash’s side was missing two badge cases. One of them was his Kalos League badges. The other was… well, she wasn’t completely sure, but it was probably Ash’s Indigo League badges.

Leaf started crying again. Serena wondered whether she should start crying too, but really that was out of the question. In the past few years, she’d only truly cried of happiness, but even before then, from back when she was ten, she’d lived life in the public eye. She still remembered fondly that time when Aria, in disguise, had told her that it was important for Performers to smile. And from then on, through thick and through thin, when times were hard and when things were going well, she smiled. Because the world was watching her and her Pokemon, and her performances, and her contest battles, and everything else she did had brought them joy.

Her tears were hers alone, and they would never destroy her. Before, when the whole world’s eyes were on her, letting her fans down would have been unforgivable. But now, their daughter was all that mattered.

So where was Ash?

Braixen gave her a significant look, stroking Leaf’s head.

Serena nodded. "We’re going to Delia’s."

Even in the late afternoon, Pallet Town was bright and cheerful. Serena pushed a stroller along, with Leaf snoozing inside. Braixen was walking next to her. Pancham was sitting next to Leaf, making sure that she was comfortable. And Sylveon had her feelers wrapped snugly around Serena’s arm.

Serena had either butterflies or a sense of dread in her stomach. She wasn’t sure which, but Sylveon’s aura made it a little better.

Although the walk to Delia’s house – Ash’s _childhood home_ —was short, by the time she’d arrived Serena had tied herself in knots with worry. It was possible that it was all for nothing, of course – maybe he’d be here, or maybe he’d be back by dinner – but she was concerned anyways.

She knocked on the door. Delia opened it.

"Serena! What a pleasant surprise. Is Ash here?"

"I was hoping that he would be here with you," Serena said. "I haven’t seen him all day."

Was it Serena’s imagination, or did Delia’s face darken for a second? "I think you’d better come in for some tea," Delia said.

Serena took off her shoes and sat at the kitchen table as Delia prepared a kettle. The butterflies in her stomach had definitely turned to a thick and heavy sense of dread now.

Delia set a cup of tea before her. "Ash never knew his father."

Serena’s blood ran cold, even as Sylveon gripped her tighter. "What do you mean?"

"I met Ash’s father when I was eighteen, helping out at the family restaurant," Delia said. "I was taking a break from school. And he had such sweet words and such a wonderful way of putting things and such great dreams. He was going to be a Pokemon master, and win the Pokemon League, and give me a better life than anything Pallet Town could offer."

Serena gripped her cup so tightly that she was afraid she would shatter it.

Delia said, "He never called me again after he passed Viridian City."

"Ash would never do that!" Serena shouted, more angrily than she’d intended. "Besides, I have his cell number."

"My own father also vanished on his own journey," Delia said. "But Ash has always been kinder than that. He always called home when he could, and he always came back."

"Has he called you?" Serena said.

"No," said Delia, after a pause. "But Serena, I want you to know—even if he never comes back, you will always be welcome in my home."

Delia had said it, the thing that Serena had been most afraid of – that Ash had truly left without any warning at all.

No. She couldn’t believe it, refused to believe it. Ash had done some reckless, stupid things before, but she’d be damned if she didn’t do her best to figure out why. She wanted answers, and would get them one way or another.

"Delia, can I ask a favor of you?" Serena said cautiously.

"Anything, dear."

"Can you watch Leaf for a little while? Starting tomorrow?"

Delia frowned. "How long? Serena, are you going to go after him?"

Serena nodded. "He inspired me to leave home once. I can do it again. I know it’s a lot to ask, Delia, but—"

"It’s all fine," Delia said with a smile. That was the thing about Delia. She was always smiling as well. It seemed gentle and truly genuine, most of the time, but Serena knew Delia hadn’t had the easiest life. Sometimes she wondered if she would turn out the same way, smiling for everyone around her but not always for herself.

"Really? Because I was going to say that if I’m not back in a month you should call my mother and ask her to raise Leaf. She’ll love another chance to raise a Rhyhorn racer."

Delia chuckled at that. "Don’t worry. I’m sure a girl will be easier to raise than Ash was!"

Serena smiled sadly. "I know you must think that I’m a terrible mother, Delia. I’m sorry."

Delia was still smiling. "Don’t be. If I could have gone after Ash’s father myself, I would have, but I had the family restaurant to take care of. But promise me this, Serena. Don’t let Leaf grow up only knowing her grandmothers."

"I promise."

Serena woke up at dawn the next day. It might have already been too late to track Ash, but she wasn’t going to travel through Viridian City at night.

It had been a very long time since she’d put on her old outfit – pink skirt, red vest, and black leggings – and she was surprised that they still fit, given her recent pregnancy. Surprisingly, it still looked good on her, even though she’d been basically a child the last time she’d worn it.

Usually, people didn’t recognize her in casual wear. They were so used to the fancy dress she adopted for Performances or Contests that they simply didn’t connect that gracious persona to the rather casually dressed woman before them. Still, it didn’t hurt to be careful. She and Ash were both minor celebrities, after all, even if usually no one pointed it out.

A straw hat caught her eye. She grabbed it and put it on. A pang shot through her heart. Her hair was shorter, and she was much older, and there was no Poliwag, but she’d worn a similar straw hat when she’d first met Ash.

She smiled, as hard as it was, and the mirror smiled back at her. She looked _fine._ Absolutely fine. She could do this.

There was still one thing missing. The blue ribbon that Ash had given her so long ago. She wouldn’t give up on him as long as there was still a chance. She tied the ribbon in front of her chest.

_Ta-da._

She checked her Pokeballs. "Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon—let’s go."

Then, she remembered Diantha, and how she’d worn sunglasses to avoid recognition. Serena knew she wasn’t quite at Diantha’s level of celebrity, but it certainly didn’t hurt. She had an extra pair, so she put them on.

She was now certain that she was unrecognizable. Now all she had to do was drop Leaf off at Delia's, and her journey could begin.

So once again, Serena set out on a journey because of Ash.

* * *

_The night before:_

With some melancholy, Ash looked at his badges as he sat in the Viridian City Pokemon Center.

He’d only taken two sets with him. He figured that if Serena was going to tell Leaf stories about him one day, it’d be better the more she had to work from. But now he was starting to regret taking the Kalos badges, because that was where they’d met again. Where he’d first started to fall in love.

Thinking about that hurt. It felt like he was betraying all that, but what choice did he have?

It had taken him a bit more than a day to reach Viridian City this time. It was a lot easier to take breaks and walk slower when you weren’t trying to save a Pikachu from a flock of angry Spearow. Speaking of whom…

Pikachu wasn’t talking to him again.

"Come on, buddy," Ash said. "Don’t you remember the first time we were here? The Spearow, Ho-Oh, and Team Rocket?"

It failed, just like all of Ash’s other attempts to get Pikachu to talk to him again. Pikachu had been giving him the silent treatment the instant he’d left Pallet Town. Ash didn’t blame him.

"If you think I’m being a bad father, I’d like to see you try," Ash said, lightheartedly. Pikachu gave him a disbelieving look, before turning his back on him.

Ash sighed, and looked at his badges again. He wasn’t even sure why he’d left. He loved Serena, and he loved their daughter. His life was good. Pallet Town wasn’t the best place to raise a child, but even so, he couldn’t put his finger on why he’d left.

He pulled the Boulder Badge out of the badge case. "I don’t deserve this," he said, holding it up to the light. "Brock just gave it to me out of pity."

"Pikapi," Pikachu said, before bursting into an angry rant.

"Yes, I know that Brock got to realize what his dreams were because he went on a journey with us, but what does that have to do with anything?" Ash said, relieved that Pikachu was finally talking to him again.

Pikachu started gesturing with his front paws, as if talking to a particularly dense object.

"Oh," Ash said. "Right."

How could he have forgotten? The only reason Brock had been able to leave the Pewter City Gym was because his father had finally decided to stop being a deadbeat.

He looked at the Boulder Badge again, holding it up to the light. Brock had always been wise, a powerful force in his life. He’d given Ash a bit of a skewed perspective on romance, but he was a reliable guy who usually knew what he was talking about.

"Pewter City it is."

Pikachu scratched his head in consternation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fate of Ash's father is adapted from "Pocket Monsters: The Animation" by Takeshi Shudo, original head writer of the Pokemon anime.
> 
> Also, comments are welcome. I like reader engagement.


	2. Viridian

Serena had reached the outskirts of Pallet Town on foot before remembering that she was a grown woman and could just drive instead.

So instead of taking a day or more to reach Viridian City, she’d gotten to Viridian City in a matter of hours, slightly before noon. Under usual circumstances, the time of staying in Pokemon Centers was far behind her. She was an adult now, not a traveling trainer, but she figured it wouldn’t hurt to check and see whether Nurse Joy had seen Ash. She found a place to park, and then stepped into the Pokemon Center.

But she hesitated. Five years ago, she and Ash had been small-time international celebrities. It might be bad if Nurse Joy was to learn that highly successful Pokemon trainer Ash Ketchum had run out on his newborn child. It might be very, very bad if the public learned that beloved Performer and Coordinator Serena had been abandoned by her husband. Because Ash would never do that. She was certain of that. This wasn’t some run-of-the-mill abandonment. There was almost certainly something deeper at play, and even if she had to drag it out of him, she would get answers.

Still, she went forth into the Pokemon center, despite her misgivings. She _was_ still technically a trainer, after all. She slid into one of the booths, surreptitiously scanning the other seats on the off-chance that Ash was still there.

"Well, well, well," said a man with spiky brown hair as he slid into the seat across from her. "If it isn’t Serena."

"Gary?" Serena said with surprise. "What are you doing here?"

It was mostly a reflexive question. Gary had been Ash's rival, back when they'd started out, but had become a researcher instead as his true calling. Serena knew that Gary was based in Viridian City these days, running a Pokemon Lab out of the Viridian Gym while also serving as Gym Leader. Frankly, it sounded like a difficult job, but she didn’t judge.

"I could ask you the same," Gary said. "Got tired of all the peace and quiet in Pallet Town?"

"How did you recognize me?" Serena said. It would be bad if her disguise was paper thin—though to be fair, it kind of was.

"I’ve known you long enough," said Gary, "and to be fair, you’re from Kalos, and it shows."

Serena hadn’t considered that, but she supposed it made sense. Except it didn’t.

"Lots of people are from Kalos. Or Galar. Or Unova. Or just pale and blonde."

"You’re an international celebrity wearing a straw hat and sunglasses," Gary said. "You couldn’t make it any more obvious that you were trying to stay hidden, and I’ve seen you enough times to recognize you. Is something wrong?"

Serena debated internally whether she should tell Gary. His friendship with Ash had started out rather antagonistically, from the stories they’d told, and they’d only found a grudging mutual respect much later. But, well, he and Ash had grown up together. If she couldn’t talk to him about Ash, she couldn’t talk to anyone about Ash.

"Ash vanished from home yesterday."

"He didn’t say he was going off on a journey again?"

Serena shook her head. "Is there a distinction there?"

"You of all people should know that when you say that when you’re going off on a journey, you’re declaring a break from what your family wants for you," Gary said. "I was at your wedding, like everyone else you and Ash ever met, remember? I heard all the speeches. How you left home because you didn’t want to be a Rhyhorn racer even though your mommy wanted you to. The declaration is a formality, but it can make all the difference."

"I would’ve preferred if he had told me, instead of just running off," Serena said. "Maybe I could’ve convinced him to stay."

Gary sighed. "Look, Serena," he said. "How much did you and Ash talk about Pallet Town before you decided to settle down here?"

Serena frowned. "We talked about it a bit. He said it was small and quiet, and there wasn’t much going on. He wanted a place near to his mother and all of his Pokemon, and it made sense to me. My mom has lots of travel funds saved up from her racing career."

Gary snorted. "Yeah, gotta keep the Tauros herd happy."

He leaned in closer. "Truth is, Serena, Pallet Town has had a total of four success stories in the past century. Being a Pokemon trainer used to be a lot harder here. The successes were me, Ashy-boy, my gramps, and my great-great-great-great-gramps."

"Four in a century?"

Gary nodded. "My great-great-great-great gramps, Pallet Oak, placed nine hundred and thirty-first in the trainer rankings one year, and they renamed the town after him. Nobody did any better than him for a long time."

Serena started giggling. "Your great-great-great-great grandad was named _Pallet Oak?_ "

"Ookido Masara, actually, but I change it when I tell the story to emphasize the point," said Gary. "Either way, they still renamed the town for him. Anyways, he was the best trainer for years – after him, no one placed above him in the rankings for a long time. When my grandad decided to put his lab in Pallet Town, he brought hope to the town for the first time in a very long time because he gave the possibility of starters with more potential than your average Pidgey or Rattata, so that was the next success story."

"Is he involved with Delia?" Serena asked. "I never could figure that out."

"I never wanted to figure that out," Gary said with a shudder. "He’s my gramps, Serena. Do you think about your mother’s love life?"

"Okay. Moving on. You were said there were four. Who were the other two?"

"Me," said Gary. "Top 32nd in the Indigo Conference, and Top 16th in the Silver Conference. I could’ve kept going, but I decided that wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life."

Serena smiled wistfully. "Ash has always wanted to be a Pokemon Master."

"Is he still not satisfied?" Gary said. "Top 16 in the Indigo Conference, Champion of the Orange League, Top 8 in the Silver Conference and the Ever Grande Conference, top four in the Lily of the Valley Conference, defeating the Battle Frontier—and that’s just in Japan."

"That’s what I’m hoping to find out," Serena said. "Because if there’s anything I could’ve done to stop him from leaving—"

"You know how he gets when he puts his mind to something," Gary said.

"And I married him anyways."

She smiled again, but it wasn’t as easy as she would’ve liked.

Gary nodded gently. "I just wanted to make sure you knew. In our parents’ generation, it would’ve been odd to chase after someone on a journey. Most people would wait at home hoping for calls, and eventually give up."

"Sometimes," Serena said, "Ash needs a snowball to the face to snap him out of stupidity."

Gary scoffed at that. "That’s oddly specific. But if you’re sure… do you have a picture of him with you?"

Serena pulled out her phone. "Who doesn’t, these days?"

Gary rolled his eyes. "Make sure it's one that you're fine with showing off in public. Nurse Joy, a moment of your time, please?"

"What can I do for you, Professor Oak?"

Gary winced. "Please. Professor Oak is my grandfather. Call me Gary."

"Whatever you say, Professor. What can I do for you?"

"Did Ash Ketchum pass through here in the past few days?"

Nurse Joy frowned. "I’m not sure I can give out personal information, even to you. It would be a gross violation of privacy, and this is a Pokemon center, not a gossip den."

"I’m his wife," Serena said.

Nurse Joy did a double take, though she hid it well. "So you are, Mrs. Ketchum. I guess I can tell his wife."

She still got butterflies when people referred to her as Mrs. Ketchum, though she wondered whether that would turn to resentment soon. Serena held up her phone, pulling up a recent picture of Ash with Pikachu on his shoulder. "Did you see him?"

"So that _was_ him with the Pikachu," Nurse Joy said. "My aunt still tells stories about the time he passed through here with a gravely injured Pikachu that wouldn’t go into a Pokeball and how he attached a bike to a generator. I wasn’t quite sure it was him, because it seemed like the Pikachu was angry. What sort of ten-time league finalist manages to get his Pokemon angry at him?"

"For a nurse, you’ve got a terrible bedside manner," Gary said. "What was he doing?"

"He was looking at his badges," said Nurse Joy. "I think he was focusing on his Boulder Badge. I really think that’s about all I should tell you."

"As long as you’re not turning around and selling our secrets to the press," Serena said, with a slight smile to show that she meant it as a joke, but perhaps it still came out somewhat menacing.

Nurse Joy smiled right back at her. "I am a _nurse_ , ma’am. I have morals."

"Thanks for your help, Nurse Joy," Gary said.

"Of course, Professor Oak," said Nurse Joy. "We hope to see you—sorry, that phrase is a reflex at this point."

She went back behind the counter of the Pokemon Center, busying herself with treatments.

"Don't worry," Gary said. "She's a bit new to the job, but she's still a professional. I’ll phone ahead to the Pewter Gym and let them know that Ash might be coming. Maybe send a call over to the Cerulean Gym as well."

"Is that a good idea?" Serena said.

"Forrest and Misty both owe a lot to Ash," Gary said. "I’m sure they’ll be glad to return the favor, for once, and they wouldn’t want to drag him through the mud. Chances are he’s heading over to the Pewter Gym."

"Then I’ll be heading to Pewter City," Serena said. "It’s a two-hour drive, isn’t it?"

Gary nodded. "I would wait until you know for sure. Didn’t he go on foot? It’s at least half a week’s walk."

The suggestion made sense. Viridian City wasn’t such a bad place.

"Still, before you go after him—did you ever figure out what being a Pokemon Master meant?"

Serena had asked Ash about it many times, and had never gotten a straight answer. She had thought it was charming at first. He had a dream, and he kept getting closer to it with every step he took, yet he kept working towards it even when he’d gotten wild successes. She admired that about him, and in that way they were much the same. When she succeeded, she didn’t stop to rest.

"Because—completely seriously—you need to sit him down and ask him, Serena. Ask him if being a Pokemon Master is compatible with fatherhood."

Ash had planned to walk to Pewter City, but it wasn’t easy when he had to stop every half hour to convince Pikachu to keep moving forward. According to his map, it would have taken him a good four days if he spent all day walking, and nothing odd happened, such as a Beedrill attack. Fortunately, his old friend Pidgeot spotted them and gave them a lift to Pewter City.

Pewter City still had many exposed crags and loose boulders, though most of the land was well-developed. Still, no amount of urban development could hide the fact that the town had been built on a foundation of hills.

Before Pidgeot left, Ash asked, "Are you happy?"

Pidgeot chirped. Ash hung his head. "I’m sorry I didn’t come back earlier."

Pidgeot patted Ash on the back with its wing. Ash got the feeling that it had all worked out fine in the end. Pidgeot had been beloved by the Pidgey flock, and now it had a family of its own.

Then, it flew off.

"See, Pikachu? It ended up working out for him. Maybe…"

Pikachu shocked Ash.

On reflection, it had been a dumb comparison. Pidgeot, for lack of better words, had been a grown-up when he’d left Ash. Butterfree had gone with its mate. Lapras had been reunited with its herd. Greninja had been called to protect the world, Goodra was standing watch over the wetlands, and Naganadel was with its birth family. There really was no grounds for comparison.

"Pikachu," he said, "let’s go challenge the Pewter Gym. A battle is sure to clear my head."

Pikachu looked at him, before reluctantly jumping onto his shoulder.

* * *

"Welcome, challenger, to the Pewter Gym," said a voice from the darkness. Ash knew it was Forrest, Brock’s little brother. Ash had vivid memories from that time when Brock’s siblings had hugged him and begged him not to win, and he remembered how intimidating Brock had been the first time they met.

"Do you come seeking the Boulder Badge?" Forrest said.

"Yes, I do!" said Ash, ignoring that he already had a Boulder Badge.

"Very well," said Forrest, snapping his fingers. The lights came on. "Oh, it’s you, Ash. I’ll get Brock. You’re lucky he’s visiting."

"Wait, no—"

But it was too late. Forrest had left. Ash sat down and crossed his legs.

"This was a stupid idea."

Pikachu nodded. "Pi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story of Masara Ookido and the rest of Pallet Town is drawn from "Pocket Monsters: the Animation", a light novel by Takeshi Shudo, original chief writer for the Pokemon anime.


	3. Pewter

Brock looked at Ash.

Ash looked at Brock.

Pikachu glared at Ash.

Brock sighed. "I can’t believe you’ve done this."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ash said.

They were sitting at a café in Pewter City. Both of them had ordered tea, but neither of them were drinking much. Pikachu had a plate of Pokemon food, but he wasn’t eating either. Brock’s hair was as uncontrolled as ever, but his eyes were grim. He wasn’t smiling.

"You ran out on your newborn daughter, Ash. Do I have to explain why I’m not happy with that? Are you planning on showing up fifteen years later and coming back into her life?"

Ash shifted uncomfortably. "I wasn’t abandoning them."

Pikachu snorted.

"I wasn’t, Pikachu!"

"A child needs its parents," Brock said. "I wasn’t so sure of that when I was fifteen, but now I’m completely certain of it. You know one of the Nurse Joys who worked at the Pewter Pokemon Center also got some training in human psychology? Apparently, my love for pretty girls was driven by a desire to find a substitute mother for my siblings."

"Wow Brock, that’s incredibly messed up."

Pikachu nodded.

Brock smiled thinly. "I’m not proud of my past. The stalker book was a bit much. The Jennys and Joys even had a competition among themselves to see how often I hit on them, though some of them were actually incredibly surprised at how good I was at knowing what made each of them unique special and worthy of love."

"Gee Brock, outside of the creepshots, you were always a perfect gentleman."

"Thanks, Ash. Now, you met my father," Brock said. "But we never talked all that much about yours."

Ash sighed. "My mother used to tell me that my dad and my grandfather were amazing Pokemon trainers. That they were so skilled that they could beat Lance, and the Elite Four, and Professor Oak. But the day I got my first computer, she told me that she’d lied. They wouldn’t even be on any public lists of professional trainers, because at best they were amateurs, so there would be no real record of them at all. My first _real_ father figure was Professor Kukui."

"I’m sorry," Brock said. "But that doesn’t excuse what you’re doing now."

Pikachu nibbled at his food. He'd never really heard Ash talk about his life before they met much, and he was starting to realize why.

"Serena wouldn’t have to lie," Ash said quietly. "When Leaf gets older, Serena can tell her about her father, who was the first Champion of Alola, who mastered the Battle Frontier, and who made it to the finals of so many Pokemon Leagues. She won’t grow up on lies about her father."

"I’m sure she’d prefer to grow up with her father," Brock said, taking a sip of his tea.

"Right, because I’m doing such a good job of it," Ash said glumly.

There wasn’t much more to say about that. Pikachu nibbled on his Pokemon food some more. To tell the truth, Pikachu understood what could drive one to abandon one’s family. He had done it once himself, when he had evolved from a Pichu to a Pikachu. He had felt that he himself had become too much of a burden on his adopted Kangaskhan mother, and so he’d left in the dead of night so as not to make the parting even harder.

That didn’t mean he didn’t feel guilty about it. Memories of family never truly leave you. And after traveling with Ash for so long, he knew the two of them were very alike.

"Do you remember why my father didn’t come home for so long?" Brock said.

"He was ashamed he was a failure of a trainer. But that’s not true for me," Ash said.

"That’s right," Brock said. "In your case, the only thing keeping you from going home is the shame of having left."

Ash stood up. "You just don’t get it, Brock! It’s just… I…"

"I’m glad you didn’t run out on your wife and newborn daughter for selfish reasons," Brock said.

"I love them," Ash said. "But… it’s just so hard to put this into words. I never got a real education, you know?"

Brock raised an eyebrow with skepticism. "Ash, you never got a real education? I read some of the research you did at the Cerise lab. How did you end up a research fellow without a formal education?"

Ash chuckled. "I was a field researcher, Brock. I got results using intuition, Goh took down the numbers and collected data, and Professor Cerise wrote it all up for publication. I spent years mastering Pokemon battling, so I just sort of get Pokemon."

"That’s the Ash I know," Brock said with a smile.

A person approached their table.

"I got here as fast as I could," said a female voice. Ash looked up and saw Misty, another one of his oldest friends. She had bright orange hair and was dressed modestly—at least for a water-type gym leader.

"Misty!"

"Brock," Misty said, leaning into give him a hug. Then she looked at Ash.

She slapped him. He didn’t have time to react.

"Ow!" Ash said, rubbing his cheek. "What was that for?"

"You know perfectly well why I did that."

"Alright, we should go somewhere else," Brock said, looking around furtively. "I’ll handle the bill. Let’s go to my place."

Brock paid, while Misty stood there glaring silently at Ash. Ash shifted rather guiltily, though that feeling was replaced by one of betrayal when Pikachu gladly jumped onto Misty’s shoulder.

"Pikachu!"

"See, Pikachu knows that running out on your newborn daughter is inexcusable," Misty said. "Don’t you, Pikachu? It’s good to see you again."

"Come on, now, we’re all grown-ups here," said Brock. "Let’s have these arguments in private, before we get recognized."

The walk to Brock’s old home wasn’t too bad, though Misty still wasn’t talking to Ash. The sun was just starting to set.

"My siblings have mostly moved out now," Brock said as he opened the door. "It’s just Forrest these days, so make yourselves at home"

"What about your parents, Brock?" Misty said as she sat down cross-legged at a table.

Brock snorted. "They spend all their time on vacation now that they no longer need to be parents at all. It’s fine."

Ash shifted guiltily as he sat.

"You know, Ash," Misty said, "my dad left my family when he was five. Despite that, I idolized him for the longest time. I thought my sisters were shallow and vapid, when they were really trying to do the best they could for the idea of Cerulean Gym and maybe make more of their lives than what my dad had abandoned. They knew they didn’t have the strength for battle, so they chose to pursue synchronized swimming careers. But I wanted to be my father. For so long I wanted to follow in his footsteps, because I had built him up in my head as this wonderful, honorable hero."

Ash knew some of this, of course. He’d seen how Misty had interacted with her sisters, all those years ago. At the time he’d been too immature to really understand what growing up with siblings must have been like, and how lucky he was to have a loving mother. He’d never known for himself what having siblings was like, even if he got really close to many of his friends and saw from example how May and Max or Clemont and Bonnie or Lillie and Gladion interacted. It was depressing, really, how many of his friends barely knew their parents. Brock, Misty, Dawn, Iris, Cilan, Clemont, Bonnie, Mallow, Lillie, Gladion—though for those last two, things were a tad different—but even Serena – his heart hurt to even think of her – growing up, all of them had a parent or two that just wasn’t in the picture.

"But the truth was," Misty continued, "he was just a man who abandoned his family to chase dreams that he never fulfilled, and I’m a far better Gym Leader than he ever was."

"Alright, I get it," Ash said. "I shouldn’t have just left Serena without telling her anything. I shouldn’t have left Leaf, either."

"Why did you leave, Ash?" Brock said.

"I’ve always wanted to be a Pokemon Master," Ash said. "You both know that. And as long as I had some idea of what that might be, I could just move forward."

"Do you feel like you can’t, anymore?" said Misty. "Do you feel like being a father has… tied you down?"

"That’s just the thing," Ash said. "I’m not sure I mind being tied down at all."

Brock and Misty shared a glance. Pikachu wriggled out of Misty’s arms and walked up to Ash, tilting his head curiously.

Ash stroked Pikachu’s head, and Pikachu let him. "If I’m a trainer," Ash said, "I can travel the world. I could see everything the world has to offer. And wherever I went, if there were people or Pokemon I could help, I could help them. But now… my world is so much smaller, and so much more important."

"I see. How is this remotely compatible with you walking out on your family?" Misty said, her eyebrow twitching.

Ash looked straight at her. "Because the idea of Ash Ketchum, Pokemon Master, is just something I can’t live up to. I was raised on lies of how my dad and grandad were amazing Pokemon trainers, but Serena won’t have to lie to Leaf. She can tell Leaf stories about Ash went from Pallet Town and won the Orange Islands championship, how I beat the Battle Frontier as a kid, how I fought in the Kalos League and together we saved the world with the help of Zygarde, how I fought Tapu Koko after I became the first champion of the Alolan League. There are so many stories about me that she can share, and—Brock, are you checking your phone?"

Brock looked up from his phone. "Uh, no?"

He clearly was, but before Ash could call him out further, Misty distracted him. Meanwhile, Pikachu’s ears perked up, but Brock patted his head.

"What makes you think Serena would stand for that?" Misty said.

"Because Serena’s one of the strongest people I know," Ash said. "She’s smart, and kind, and brave, and compassionate. When she sets her mind to something, she _will_ achieve it. She’s a lot like me, in that way. And… but… I don’t know. I don’t think she _would_ stand for it."

Ash, to his surprise, realized there was a tear in his eye. He blinked it away.

"She’s so strong sometimes, and I was so happy to have her in my life. But the truth is… what am I good for, really? I can throw a Pokeball pretty well and I’m one of the best trainers in the world, but I’ve already failed at being a father by running away."

"Oh, Ash," Misty said, softly.

Pikachu rubbed Ash’s hand with his paw. "Pikapi."

"I never learned to cook, and I’m terrible at keeping things neat, and I can barely dress myself. Being a Pokemon Master was my dream for so long that I’m not sure if I’m anyone at all without it. And a man without a dream isn’t who Serena fell in love with. A man without a dream can’t be a good father to anyone. So I need to chase the dream, so I can be someone that Leaf can look up to. And I know I can succeed like that, the way I’ve always done. I’ll just be journeying for them, now."

"You don’t really believe that, do you?" Brock said.

Ash hung his head. He didn’t, really. It was a good justification, but he already felt so guilty for running out on Serena without so much as a note.

"You know I don’t."

The truth was, he was afraid of being a bad father. He’d already gone through moody teenage blues once, with Charizard, and even though Charizard had eventually forgiven him, children were different. Pokemon came into the world with fully-formed minds, but if human children grew up to have problems, it was often their parents’ fault.

"You love Serena," Misty said. There was no judgment or jealously in her voice; whatever feelings she herself might have had were long since gone, vanished with maturity.

"I do," Ash said, nodding. "And I promised that I’d be by her side forever. The truth is that she’s done so much. She’s brought so many people joy. After the Flare Crisis in Kalos, she put together a performance in Lumiose City, did you know that? She tried to take people’s minds off of the horror that they’d seen, and it worked. Everyone was so happy."

Ash smiled as he said it. He remembered that moment, when the party had started and everyone had started to dance. How in the moment, he’d been able to lose himself and forget his worries, just like when he’d been battling.

"And I’m afraid," Ash said. "We fought to save the world, but she was the one who put back the pieces back together. There are so many wonderful things out there, but also so many terrible things. We saw so many of them when we traveled. There’s Team Rocket and all the evil they’ve done. There’s Kyogre and Groudon and people who want them to change the climate. There’s Dialga and Palkia and Giratina and Arceus, and people who want to use their power to make new worlds. There are Pokemon that represent truth and ideals, Pokemon that bring life and death and the balance between them, Ultra Beasts invading from other worlds. I used to think that there was so much wonder in this world—but they always needed our help. They always needed my help."

"Everyone’s good at different things, Ash," Misty said. "That’s part of why having friends is so wonderful."

"She’s so wonderful," Ash said. "And I just left her with our newborn child. I’m sure I could go back, but what if that’s not the right choice? I’ve been a pretty crummy father so far, haven’t I? But I could travel the world and help legendary Pokemon maintain balance and keep the world safe for them, so that Leaf can grow up safe and happy. It’s a wonderful world—and I want Leaf to grow up to see it."

Brock and Misty shared a look. They couldn’t deny that at all. Ash had a certain talent for being a champion of legendary Pokemon and their suffering.

"What do you think she’s doing now, Ash?" Brock said.

"Yeah, Ash," Misty said. "If she’s so wonderful and brave and compassionate, what do you think she did once she realized that you were gone?"

Ash was certain of almost nothing these days, but he kept having this vision in his mind’s eye of Serena throwing snow at him, and the tears in her eyes, and her anger that he wasn't acting like himself. Or Serena getting dressed and charging out of the door, and how cute she'd been the first time he'd seen her new outfit. Or Serena running up a moving escalator, and how surprised and delighted he'd been, and how soft her lips were.

"Do you really think, if she’s so brave and kind and compassionate, that she would sit at home and wait to die from a broken heart?"

"Your mom didn’t die, Brock, she just ran out on you," said Ash defensively. Ah, bickering, like they had in the old days.

Brock and Misty looked pointedly at him. Pikachu rubbed his forehead. "Pikapi."

Ash frowned. "What?"

Then it hit him. "Oh. I have to go home."

He jumped to his feet and turned around, but stopped short.

Serena was standing there, her hands clasped before her chest. Her eyes were watery.

"How long have you been standing there?" Ash said, dumbfounded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Misty and Brock's backstory is adapted from "Pocket Monsters: The Animation", by Takeshi Shudo.


	4. Indigo

_Earlier:_

"I can always give you a call when I hear back from them," Gary said to Serena as they stepped into the Viridian Gym.

Serena shook her head. "I don’t think I’m in the mood for shopping or sightseeing right now."

Gary nodded. "If you say so. I just hope you don’t get too bored around the lab."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Serena said.

"Pokemon research isn’t all preparing starter Pokemon for new trainers or traveling the world to take pictures of legendaries," Gary said. "How Ash managed to play that off as actual research, I have no idea. For me it’s mostly testing move efficiency, reliably defining techniques, some fossil research, and studying the evolution of Ground-type Pokemon. It’s boring stuff. With your appreciation of beauty, I’m not sure how much you’d get out of it."

"Gary, you can be a bit of a dick sometimes," Serena said.

"It’s part of being an Oak," Gary said. He threw out a Pokeball. "Time to get back to work, Rhyperior!"

The Rhyperior burst out of its Pokeball with a flash of light. It was a bipedal rhino with orange-red armor plates around its waist. Serena resisted the urge to pull out her phone to look it up.

The Rhyperior turned towards her, and Serena’s heart jumped for a second. Then, it knelt down, tilting its head towards her. Tentatively, she reached a hand towards it and gave it a gentle rub.

The Rhyperior—purred?

"He seems to like you," Gary said with some surprise. "He usually doesn’t take to new people so quickly."

"Is he, by any chance, related to Rhyhorn?" Serena said.

Gary nodded. "The final evolved form, in fact. Why do you ask?"

"Rhyhorn have always liked me," Serena said. Suddenly, an alarm sounded.

"Maybe a little too much," Serena continued. "What’s that sound?"

"That," said Gary, "would be the alarm that sounds if the Rhyhorn herd escapes its pen."

Serena didn’t have time to react before the Rhyhorn herd was upon her. They started licking her and tickling. She couldn’t help it – she started laughing. Rhyhorn really did love her.

"Arceus, Serena, I am so sorry," Gary said. "Hey, if we could get a little help over here?"

A bunch of lab assistants showed up and started recalling the Rhyhorn to their Pokeballs. Gary frowned. "What happened to the three new hires? The one with pink hair, the one with blue hair, and the short one?"

One of the assistants shrugged. "Haven’t seen them since the Rhyhorn broke out. Something about ‘feeling bad’ and ‘blasting off’?"

"How did the herd get out anyways?" Gary said. "Those doors should be double-sealed."

"Someone must’ve let them out," the assistant said.

Something about this whole situation seemed remarkably familiar, which bothered Serena, but she decided to let it slide.

"You took that remarkably calmly," said Gary as the last of the Rhyhorn was recalled to a Pokeball.

"I’ve gotten used to it," Serena said. "Like I said, Rhyhorn have always liked me, maybe a little too much. I guess that’s why my mother wanted me to be a Rhyhorn racer—I had the potential."

Gary smiled wistfully at that. "You broke away from what was expected of you. I never did."

He patted Rhyperior on the head. "I’m happy with my life, but becoming a Pokemon Professor was the easy path for me. Honestly, I’m jealous of Ash. He came from nothing and had nothing to live up to, and yet he went so far."

"Who knows how far he’ll go?" Serena said. She didn't bother trying to sound cheerful. Unconsciously, she clutched at her ribbon.

Gary flinched. "Right. Maybe this is a bad time to talk about Ash."

"Maybe I’ll go see the Rhyhorn herd, if that’s alright with you," Serena said.

Gary nodded. "Suit yourself. Try not to get too attached if you won't be visiting again."

There really was something soothing about caring for Rhyhorn, though with a pang of guilt Serena realized she’d much rather be caring for her daughter. She wondered if she had made the right decision. If Ash had truly vanished, what would she do? Chase after him, with or without Leaf? Wait for listings of league finalists to come out every year, worldwide, and scour them for his name in the hopes that he was trying to recapture his youth? There hadn’t been any hint of him wanting to leave their life together.

In the worst-case scenario, if she had go back alone, empty handed, Delia would be there to help her.

There really was something to be said for how affectionate Rhyhorn were, though. She had grown up with Rhyhorn always in her life, and she’d imagined that her children would grow up with Pokemon in their lives as well. The first time she’d visited Pallet Town, she’d be amazed to realized that Ash had almost a hundred Pokemon roaming the grounds of the Oak Lab, and whenever she fantasized about raising children she imagined them growing up with Pokemon as friends and playmates. (Though Ash’s Bayleef had seemed weirdly jealous, in a way that had made Serena appreciate, for once, that Ash had been oblivious until the moment she'd kissed him.)

She’d never shared the details of that dream with anyone, just bits and pieces of it with Ash, and she’d thought they were on the same page about that. Though it was possible she’d misread him, or he’d misunderstood her. He could be really dense, sometimes.

"Serena," Gary said from the doorway to the Rhyhorn pen. "He’s in Pewter City. Brock’s with him now."

Serena got up. "That’s a four-day walk if you don’t get lost. It took him two weeks to get there the first time. How on earth did he get there so fast? He keeps doing the impossible."

Gary chuckled. "Four-day walk, two-hour drive. Good luck. Here’s Brock’s number, if you don’t already have it."

Serena drove in silence to Pewter City. The highways were relatively new, having been built in the past twenty years. The Kanto region had changed dramatically from the days when Ash had first set out on his journey, as had Kalos. Braixen sat in the passenger seat, while Pancham and Sylveon sat in the back.

"I’m sorry," Serena said, once the high-rises of Pewter City appeared in the distance. "I’m just so worried about us. Whether we’re still a family."

Her Pokemon trilled concerned responses.

"It’s just… if I think about it, Ash has a tendency to build people up and make them strong, and then trust that they’ll be strong without him. And I’m sure I could raise Leaf without him, if I had to. But I don’t want to. I want us to build a life together. Sylveon, don’t grab my arm while I’m driving."

Sylveon pulled her feelers back, and massaged Serena’s shoulders instead. Serena sighed contentedly. "I don’t suppose any of you feel like learning Powder Snow in the next five minutes?"

The sun was getting low in the sky as Serena pulled into the Pewter City outskirts. She took off her sunglasses—it was too dark for them now, and she pulled out her phone and texted Brock. He replied quickly.

"Am with Ash and Misty now. Walking to house—behind Gym. Door will be unlocked. Text when u arrive."

She recalled Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon. She didn’t want them to see if she broke down. Then, she walked towards the Pewter City Gym, sending a text to Brock as she got closer.

Quietly, she entered Brock’s home, and eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Because Serena’s one of the strongest people I know," Ash said. "She’s smart, and kind, and brave, and compassionate. When she sets her mind to something, she _will_ achieve it. She’s a lot like me, in that way. And… but… I don’t know. I don’t think she _would_ stand for it."

Serena covered her mouth with her hands. She wanted to hear all of this, and she couldn’t let herself say a thing. She wished she’d kept Sylveon out, to help her stay calm, but she doubted it would’ve helped all that much.

She listened as Ash talked about how he didn’t feel he was good enough to be father. How he’d already failed (and to be fair, running away from home qualified as a major lapse in judgment), but how he was so happy to have her. How he felt that he was barely suited for living at home, and how he wasn’t sure who he was without the dream of being a Pokemon Master, and how he wasn’t who she’d fallen in love with anymore, and she wanted to scream that wasn’t true, she’d fallen in love with him, and if he’d just pull himself together he’d be able to see that—

It really was the Winding Woods all over again.

"I promised that I’d be by her side forever," Ash was saying. And Serena remembered their wedding vows. She’d snuck in a last minute addition— _Together, until the wingbeats of Yveltal us part._ The phrase was an old Kalos tradition, and she thought that given all they’d been through together, it was fitting.

But then Ash was talking about how wonderful she was, and she had to blink back tears. And she heard how he was afraid that he’d be a bad father, and how maybe his destiny was elsewhere, and that maybe the best thing he could do was leave—and she absolutely couldn’t let him. It didn’t matter if he was a perfect father or not. She just needed him to be there. There were other heroes who could save the world. Was it so selfish for her to not want him to leave again?

She stepped out from behind the door. Brock and Misty saw her, and then they shared a look. They started asking Ash some pointed questions. Then—

"Do you really think, if she’s so brave and kind and compassionate, that she would sit at home and wait to die from a broken heart?"

"Your mom didn’t die, Brock, she just ran out on you," said Ash.

Serena winced. _Technically_ , she _had_ , but she was planning on going back very, very soon.

Then Ash stood up and turned around. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Since you said that I was one of the strongest people you knew," Serena said. She knew she probably didn’t look it, since she’d been holding in the tears – mostly tears of joy, but it stung even now to see Ash so out of touch with his own goodness.

He stepped towards her and put his arms around her. She hugged him and buried her face in his shoulder. She let herself cry, but just a little bit.

"I’m so sorry," he said. "I shouldn’t have left."

"No," she said. "You shouldn’t have. You could have told me all of that, you know?"

Ash hung his head, not meeting her eyes. "I don’t know why I didn’t."

Serena smiled. "Because the first time you moped around me, I threw a snowball into your face?"

Ash chuckled. "Maybe that was it. I guess I deserve a snowball again, huh?"

"Alright, I’m leaving," Misty said. "Too much mushy stuff, and I’m expecting so many challengers tomorrow. Have fun, you lovebirds."

Serena pulled back from Ash, taking a good look at him. He was melancholy. It wasn't that he was upset, but rather that for once he seemed genuinely lost. It wasn't quite like the Winding Woods, where Ash's convictions had driven him towards thinking himself unsuitable for training Greninja. This time, Ash's convictions had led him to almost do some very stupid things, but other people had talked him down from it—because he was afraid he wasn't worthy of _her_. Of their _family_.

They would have to have a talk about that.

Ash turned towards Brock and bowed. "Thanks for your hospitality, Brock."

"No problem," Brock said. "But why don’t you two spend the night here? We’ve got lots of empty room ever since all my siblings moved out, it’s cheaper than a hotel, and I think the beds are softer than the Pokemon Center’s."

"Will Forrest be alright with that?" Ash said.

"I don’t see why not," Brock said.

"That would be wonderful," said Serena. "And Brock, one last favor? Could you call Delia and tell her that we’ll be coming home tomorrow?"

The extra room was snug. The bed was a bunch of disassembled bunk beds, all pushed together to form one larger bed. There was just enough room for the two of them.

"Pikapi," Pikachu said. He stood at the door of the room.

"You want to give us some time to talk things out by ourselves?" Ash said. "I’m not sure that’s necessary, Pikachu. You’ll always be with us."

Pikachu palmed his face. Then he stepped outside of the room, pulling the door closed behind him.

"I think," Serena said after a pause, "that he wants to give us privacy."

"Privacy? I got that, but—"

She kissed him. He seemed surprised at first, but then he relaxed and kissed her back.

When he pulled back, he seemed oddly bashful. "I’m not sure I deserved that."

"That was entirely for me," Serena said. Hearing him say that was a bit of a mood killer, though, even though they were still just inches from each other. "I missed you, you know. And it was different than when we were just travelling in different places, when I was in Hoenn and you were all over the world. This time, I thought you might be gone for good, so I wanted that kiss to be worth it."

Ash hung his head. "I’m a terrible husband for putting you through that."

"Yeah, I heard you the first time," Serena said. She caressed his hands, and kissed his forehead. "But you know we’re in this together. I’m nervous, too."

"You’re nervous?" Ash said with surprise, lifting his head up. "What are you nervous about? You’re so…"

"Before, when I was performing, I got really, really good at making the world happy," Serena said, staring into his eyes. "But now… well, it’s cliché, but I have to say it. Leaf _is_ my world now, and… oh, why didn’t I bring her with me?"

She sighed. Sylveon burst out of her Pokeball and wrapped her feelers around Serena’s arm. "Thanks, Sylveon."

Pikachu poked his head back in. "Pika? Pika pika!"

Sylveon saw Pikachu, and joined him outside of the door, though she gave Serena’s hand one last comforting rub.

"I know exactly how you feel," Ash said. "Who’s taking care of Leaf right now?"

"Your mom," Serena said. She leaned back. "She’s disappointed in you, you know. But I just don’t know how you don’t see how fundamentally good you are, Ash. How you keep getting back up and how you keep trying. You inspired me when I first set out, but I didn’t fall in love with the _idea_ of you, Ash. Maybe I had a crush on the idea of you at first, but I fell in love with the man in front of me right now."

"That’s right," Ash said slowly. "Have you already forgiven me?"

"For leaving, maybe," said Serena, "But Ash, I can’t believe that you didn’t think that you could just talk to me."

"I needed to clear my head," Ash said, looking down again. "And I guess… I guess I was thinking that if I did decide that it was better to leave, it would be better if you didn’t know why instead of knowing that I was afraid. I guess… I wanted to leave you with good memories of me. Arceus, that’s a terrible thing to say."

Serena was gripping his hands rather tightly now. "Yes. It is. But seeing you like this… it'll only be a bad memory if you don't come back from this."

"Can you still trust me after this?" Ash said sadly.

Serena let go of his hand and got up. She started taking off her day clothes, turning her back to him. He could watch if he really wanted to, but she didn't want him to get the wrong idea. There were serious conversations to be had. "I want to, Ash. I really do. But I want to hear it all from you. Everything you’re afraid of. Everything you want to be. Everything that we want from our lives together."

"We did talk about this," Ash said. "We talked about it a lot before we got married."

Serena tied her hair back with the blue ribbon. She was now just wearing a black vest and shorts, suited for bed. "But it’s different now. Everything changed when Leaf came into our lives."

She turned back to face him. He, too, had taken off his jacket and his pants, and was just in a black shirt and boxers.

"Do you still want to be a Pokemon Master?"

"I always will," Ash said. He sat down, cross-legged on the bed. She was looking down at him, now, which was always slightly weird to her.

"And… do you even know what it means to be a Pokemon Master?" Serena said.

"No," Ash said. "It’s something I’ll spend my whole life figuring out. That hasn’t changed."

It hadn’t. Serena knew that. But he seemed nervous now, where before he would laugh off his confusion.

"But you want to be a good father, too," Serena said, rather insistently.

Ash nodded. "More than anything," he said, his voice hollow. "I want to be the very best father that I can. I… but I don’t know what that looks like."

"Ash…"

"I want Leaf to grow up happy, knowing that her father and her mother are both people she can look up to. But who am I without the journey, Serena?"

She knelt down so their eyes were level. "You’re the man I love."

"You fell in love with me because I—"

"Because you were _you_ ," Serena said forcefully, grabbing his shoulders. "The very first time we met, in the forest at camp, you came to me and told me not to cry, and there was nothing stopping you from just being you."

"I want to keep being me," Ash said. "And I want you to keep being you. Even back then, I was looking forward to leaving on a journey. But now I have you, and Leaf, and I don't want to go on a journey anymore. Everything's changed."

"But you don't have to," said Serena. She stood back up and walked to the window. The moon was half-full, and in the sky she could see just a few stars, the rest drowned out by the gleaming lights of Pewter City.

"Do you remember," she said, "back when we were first traveling together, when I performed against Aria?"

"Your dream back then was to be Kalos Queen," Ash said. "And you got so close."

"But my dream changed when I lost," Serena said. "I went to Hoenn to try Contests instead of taking Palermo's offer to train with her. Did you never wonder why?"

"I always thought it was because you wanted to get better," said Ash, "to expand your horizons. To go places you'd never been, and learn from everyone you met along the way!"

"Oh, Ash," Serena said with a smile, turning back to face him. "That's such a _you_ answer."

"It kind of is, isn't it?" Ash said, also smiling. "I guess I was pretty silly for never really asking."

"My dream was to be Kalos Queen," Serena said, "but in that moment, when I saw Aria perform, and I saw how the audience acted – I saw how everyone had a smile on their face. And that's when I realized the real reason I wanted to be Kalos Queen, the real reason I wanted to perform."

"You wanted to bring people joy," Ash said. "To let your dreams inspire theirs."

"You did know!"

Ash leaned back, uncrossing his legs as he did so. Serena did her best not to stare, even though it would've been perfectly fine to since they were married. "I never really thought of it that way," Ash said. "I always said I wanted to be a Pokemon Master, but the truth is, I never really cared all that much about being strong or being the greatest in the world. I wanted to be the best to the people around me. I wanted to help them whenever I could—at least, I learned that pretty early on. It was never about winning or losing. It was about the friends I made, humans and Pokemon."

Serena sat next to him on the bed, entwining her fingers with his. "Were you going to leave everyone behind as well, just have me show up one day and tell poor Bayleef that you'd decided to go on a journey and never come back?"

"I really didn't think this through," Ash said with a chuckle. "If you'd told them that, the Tauros herd would've stampeded until they found me."

"Honestly, Ash," Serena said. "Everyone in your life is as willful as you are. Did you think any of us would give up on you?"

She lied down, pulling him down with her, and they stared into each other's eyes. He caressed her face, and she inhaled sharply as she felt his fingers on her skin.

"Stronger together, huh?" Ash said.

"That's what marriage is."


	5. Frontier

When Serena woke up, she was sprawled on top of Ash. Light was streaming in through the window. Somehow, during the night, her hand had found its way under his shirt.

She let herself enjoy the moment just a little bit. When she felt him put his hands on her back, she opened her eyes to meet his.

"I love you," he said.

She snuggled closer to him. "I love you, too."

They spent just a little more time like that, but the world was calling them awake. With some reluctance from both of them, they got up.

Sometime in the night, Braixen had come out of her Pokeball, and Pikachu and Sylveon had snuck back into the room. They were collapsed in a pile on one of the other beds. Pikachu's ears perked up.

"You were right, Pikachu," Ash said. "I was worrying her for nothing."

They said their goodbyes to Brock, and started heading home to Pallet Town. This time, Ash drove. Four hours total of driving had been kind of exhausting for Serena, so instead she held Pikachu on her lap.

"How on earth did you get here so fast on foot?" Serena said.

"My old Pidgeot lives in Viridian Forest," Ash said. "It gave me a lift."

"You let a lot of friends go their own way," Serena said. Pikachu nodded in agreement.

Ash was quiet for a bit. "I do," he said eventually. "I wish I could say I would never leave you, but… I kind of just did. I guess the truth is I've gotten used to friends leaving me to follow their own dreams."

"Already looking forward to the day Leaf turns ten?"

"That's terrifying to think about," Ash said. "Now that I'm an adult, sending a ten-year-old out on a journey seems… irresponsible. I almost died on my first day."

"You also ended up tied up quite a lot," Serena said. It was quite the amusing thought, the idea of Ash tied up just enough… but she pushed it from her mind. Now wasn't quite the time to think about that.

"I wouldn't expect her to want to stay at home at all," Ash said. "Not with us as parents. We both set out so early and did so well that I can't imagine that we'd be able to keep her from leaving. And I know she'll find friends of her own and do great things, but… I wish we could help her prepare."

The wind whistled past them as they drove. Serena agreed with him completely, and the first seed of an idea was starting to bloom in her mind. She glanced down at Pikachu, who gave her a thumbs-up.

"Maybe we can," Serena said. "We should."

"After school every day we can take her to the lab," Ash said. "Let her play with the Pokemon there."

"I was thinking something different," Serena said. "We're… Ash, you know we're kind of rich, right?"

Ash blinked, though he kept his eyes on the road. "We are?"

"I'm starting to see why your mother never told you about your league winnings."

"I got winnings for participating in the Pokemon League? I mean, that's good, but I guess it's a good thing that I never knew about it because I don't know what I would've done with it."

Serena smiled. Ash could be so incredibly dense whenever he wasn't thinking about Pokemon battling that it was honestly a wonder that he'd survived this long. She scratched Pikachu under the ears.

"And of course, there's what I got from Performances, and Contests, and all those magazine appearances, and that fashion line I modeled for," Serena said. _And the licensed body pillows, but if Ash knew that I had a collection of body pillows with him printed on them he might leave me,_ she thought, more privately.

"…How rich are we?" Ash said, his brow furrowed. Pewter City was fading into the distance behind them, and the terrain was flattening out.

"We could buy half of Pallet Town if you wanted to," Serena said. "And you did notice our wedding was an international event, right?"

"I thought our wedding was an international event because Diantha decided to show up, I didn't think she actually would" Ash said. Then he chuckled. "But half of Pallet Town? That's a bit much."

Then he grew somber. "Serena, I know you talked with my mom and Gary… did they tell you why so many people from Pallet Town want to be trainers?"

"Gary said that there were only four success stories in a century, and that it was hard…" Serena said. "I got the impression that lots of people passed through Pallet Town on their journeys. But not many had a reason to stay."

"I didn't realize this when I was a kid," Ash said. "But Pallet Town's pretty poor. There aren't a lot of jobs, especially not for ten-year-olds, so nobody wants to stay, so after primary school the schools end up being pretty terrible too."

Serena nodded. She had been a good potential parent and had done this sort of research before agreeing to move to Pallet Town. There were nearby towns, of course, with better schools, if it came to that. Of course, that had all been before Ash decided to have misgivings about letting their children go on a journey, but she completely understood where he was coming from. She'd asked a Vespiquen for help on her first day and then, just months later, had to help save the world.

Journeys were unpredictable.

"But it's my home, at least in one sense," Ash said. "It's one of the few places in the whole world that's always felt like home to me."

"Pikapi…" Pikachu said. Serena scratched him under the chin. He always seemed to like that.

"We could always move to Alola," Serena said. "But I have a feeling that's not what you really want."

"No," Ash said. "I'll always love Kukui and Burnett for accepting me into their home, and I'll always love Alola, but I can't see us there."

They drove a bit further, with Mt. Moon becoming an increasingly distant shadow on the horizon, before he spoke again. "Did Gary tell you the story about Pallet Oak?"

"He wasn't making that up?" Serena said. It had sounded more and more ridiculous the more she'd thought about it.

"It's absurd, but I heard the story too as a kid," Ash said. "Every kid in Pallet Town dreams of doing better than Pallet Oak did, and having the town renamed after themselves. I stopped caring about that, but being from Pallet Town isn't something I can ever forget. Do you ever wish you were back in Vaniville?"

"Not much," Serena said. "It was my mom's home, but mine is… home is who you're with, not where you are. And my home is with you and Leaf."

Ash wiped at his eyes. "I love you, Serena."

Even now, she still blushed when he said that.

He continued. "But I need to keep being the man that you love. I want to be the husband you deserve, and the reason I ran was because I was afraid that I couldn't. I haven't really been afraid of anything in a long time, because I could always get back up and try again. But now… I almost messed up permanently."

"I would always have taken you back, no matter how long it would have been."

Ash shook his head. "Every day, I would've felt more and more guilty until one day I couldn't forgive myself at all. I'm glad you came to get me."

Serena looked out the window, watching the countryside pass by. "I don't want to have to do it again," she said after a while. "What you need, Ash, is something that reminds you of who you are at your best. Something that isn't a journey."

"I know," said Ash, "but what?"

They drove a bit further. Viridian Forest was visible in the distance.

"What about you?" Ash said. "Do you wish you could keep performing?"

Serena turned to look at him. He glanced briefly at her before turning his eyes back to the road.

"I do," she said. "But I don't want to go on a journey again, and I don't want to leave you and Leaf. You would starve in a week. At least you change her diaper."

He smiled at that. "But… if we're rich and famous, if you don't want to go to audiences, then audiences can come to you! Are we rich enough to build a stage?"

"Ash…"

It dumbfounded her how he was so good at giving advice to others, but could never find advice for himself.

"I'm serious!" he said. "Just because you're a mom now doesn't mean anything has to change! Lillie and Gladion's mom, Lusamine, kept running the Aether Foundation even with the both of them running around!"

"Lillie and Gladion were raised by servants in a mansion," Serena said. Now, they were probably rich enough to hire nannies themselves, but Serena kind of wanted to be involved in raising her children. She was pretty sure Ash did too, but just hadn't thought these things out.

"I'm sure Mimey wouldn't mind helping out," said Ash, "and Lusamine's Clefable helped raise Lillie."

The idea did appeal to Serena. She had resigned herself to spending at least the next five years as a full-time mother. Five-year-olds were usually self-sufficient, like Bonnie had been, and even Clemont had been designing his first power plants by then. But given that both she and Ash had been ten by the time of their first real successes, she wasn't counting on Leaf being a child prodigy.

And it was true. She was missing the rhythm of rehearsals, just a little bit. It had been irresponsible to rehearse while pregnant, and while she could practice contest combinations, it wasn't the same and her Pokemon knew it.

So returning to the stage was really tempting…

"Not just a stage," she said. "It needs to be a battlefield as well."

"But you're not a battler."

"But you are."

He sat up straighter when she said that; he was listening. The distant smog of Viridian City was easier to see now, hovering over the horizon like a haze.

"The first Alola League Champion, Kalos League Runner Up… you know it's who you are. You could… start a Gym?"

Ash seemed to be mulling the words over. They drove a bit further in silence. Serena played with Pikachu a bit, but both of them kept glancing over at Ash every few seconds to see what he was thinking about.

"There's a lot of stuff that goes into being a Gym Leader," Ash said after a while. "I know Kanto and Kalos both have more than eight Gyms, but I don't know if the League would accept me, and I don't know if I'd want to be bound to League rules. They make you stick to only one type of Pokemon, at least most of the time. But…"

"That's it!" he shouted. They were near an exit to Viridian City, and Ash took it and parked the car on the side of the street. "Serena, you're the best!"

He pulled her into a kiss—he was rarely this spontaneous, oftentimes it was all her—but when he pulled back his eyes were sparkling. "Did I ever tell you about the Battle Frontier?"

"At least five times."

Pikachu scratched his head. "Pika pika."

It was always embarrassing for Pikachu to watch Ash and Serena kiss, but it was even worse when he was caught in the middle of them because they didn't give enough warning. Pikachu was well aware that they loved each other, but that didn't mean that he liked to watch.

"At the end, they offered to let me be a Frontier Brain," Ash said.

"How is that different from being a Gym Leader again?" Serena said.

"No type restrictions, no league restrictions… they're as strong as members of the Elite Four," Ash said. "Gym Leaders have to hold back, at least a little, since they're testing how strong challengers are. But Frontier Brains can battle with their full power."

"And that's how you battle best," Serena said. "When you're giving it your all."

"Yeah," Ash said. "This is how we can put Pallet Town back on the map. I can make it a place where trainers come to challenge the Battle Frontier. I can make jobs, and improve the town in a way the Oaks never did, and make it someplace worth raising a family. But for you…"

"A stage that I can call my own," Serena said thoughtfully. "A place where I can perform and draw and audience. It would be a place I could teach others how to bring joy to peoples' lives. It would be somewhere Leaf could have a place to play, and maybe, when she gets older… I'm sounding like my mom, aren't I."

"I am so not answering that," Ash said with a chuckle. He grasped her hands. "But Serena, that's a wonderful idea. Your performances are amazing. They'll come to you!"

And just like that, their future was reified. The challenges of parenthood were vast, but now there was more than just the promise of joy through raising their children together. Becoming a Pokemon Master was who Ash was, just as inspiring others to live and follow their dreams was who Serena was, and now they had a way to do it together.

His hands were on her arms, and he pulled her closer. She could feel his breath tickling her lips, and see electricity behind his eyes. Her pulse quickened, and as she leaned in she reached for the top button of his shirt—

"Pika pika!"

Pikachu had puffed his cheeks up, and was sitting on top of the car dashboard. Then, he mimicked a crying baby.

"Maybe we should take better care of the baby we already have before making another one," Serena said.

"Right," Ash said, clearing his throat. He started the car, and they went home to Pallet Town.


End file.
